When You're A Sweep You're In Glad Company
by tvsitcomfan
Summary: When Bert is a chimney sweep for a family, he wishes he had a family of his own. Mary then comes back into his life once again, trying to show Bert what it's like to be part of a family as he becomes responsible for a little boy. In the meantime, he and John learn a secret that Mary has been keeping.
1. Chapter 1

It was a foggy afternoon in London. Many people were finishing up their dinners and children started to head to bed. On this particular day Bert was once again a chimney sweep. On the roof of the Smith's house, he had just finished cleaning the chimney. Looking around him, he reminisced about the time he was with Mary Poppins and the Banks children on their rooftop. It seemed like such a long time ago. Really, it was only a year ago. He remembered having so much fun showing the children the wonders of being a chimney sweep and dancing across the roof with Mary Poppins in his arms. Looking off into the distance, he sighed. If only he could talk to her for just a minute. He sat up and grabbed his tools, and headed on his way. He walked into the living room, slowly and carefully picking up the cloths that covered the furniture,trying not to make a mess. As he lastly took the cloth off the mantle, a framed picture appeared. He paused and glanced at was the Smith family:the mom, the dad, and their two daughters: Elizabeth and Wendy. He smiled,imagining what it would be like if he were to have a family. Just then, he heard someone clear their throat. It was Mr. Smith.

"Sorry,sir. Just lookin' at ya family picture here. Nice picture." Mr. Smith took the picture and wiped some dust off.

"Yes, my family is everything to me. Being a father is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me." He turned to Bert.

"Tell me, do you have any youngsters of your own?" Bert chuckled.

"Me? Nah, it's just me and myself. Never had the privilege. Mr. Smith took some change from his pocket and handed it to Bert,then shook his hand.

"Good luck to you,sir," Mr. Smith said.

"Same to you." Bert opened the front door ,turned to Mr. Smith and tipped his hat.

Walking down the street,the sky appeared to have become darker. The fog,on the other hand,seemed to get thicker,making it harder for him to see. Eventually, he just stopped and sat on a nearby bench in the park. Just then, he heard steps coming from behind him. He jolted off of the bench and walked around nervously, bringing one of his tools in his hand above his head.

"Okay, who's there?" There was no one behind turned back the other way and cautiously moved forward. He then accidentally stepped on a branch, making him jump.

"Now,Bert, be careful. You don't want to hurt anyone. After all, it is difficult to see in this weather." Bert concentrated on a figure standing before him. He was ecstatic.

"Mary, it's you!" He threw his tools to the ground and ran to her side.

"Of course it's me. Who else would be out in such horrible weather like this?" Bert could now get a better view of her. He viewed her from head to toe.

"You look great,Mary! Haven't changed a bit!" He went over to her and kissed her hand, looking from her hand then into her eyes. She straightened up and continued walking, Bert followed behind her,trying to catch up.

"You hear for an assignment?" She then came to an old brick house. Bert went in his pocket and dug out his house key.

"Yes, as a matter of fact,I am." He put his key on the end table and turned to Mary.

"Really, is it anyone I know?"

"Well, sort of..." she hesitated.

"Who are you looking after?" She took off her gloves and hat.

"It's not as important of who I am looking after, but rather about who you are looking after." Bert scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Mary, I have a feeling there is something that you aren't telling me." She picked up her carpet bag as Bert lead her to the spare bedroom in his house.

"You will find out in due time," was all she said.


	2. Chapter 2

Bert woke up to the smell of fresh toast and eggs. Heading to the kitchen, Mary was already sipping her cup of tea.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully. Bert smiled as he sat down across from her. He poured some tea into his cup and took a sip.

"So,Mary, about yesterday. You never answered me." She ignored him and sipped her tea again as she looked at the morning paper. He took a bite of his toast and too a few bites of his eggs,then stood up.

"Well, whatever it is, it must not be that important. I have work to do. People are waiting to see what kind of pictures I can do today." He put on his coat and cap and walked to the door. As he slowly opened it,Mary spoke up.

"Be careful out there. And have a good day." He winked at her and tipped his hat.

Bert was doing his chalk drawings for an hour and only three men, one lady and two children came by and noticed his work. He composed an image that looked like a beach and another like a forest. Looking up for a split second, he noticed a small figure running towards him. He jumped up, dusted himself off quickly, and grabbed the boy by the arm. He was struggling to get took a good look at the boy when he was still for a second. He appeared to be about ten years old.

"Let go of me," he screamed.

"Not so fast, chap. Where do you think you are going?" Just then, he hid behind Bert as the constable appeared in front of them.

"Pardon me, Bert, but have you happened to have noticed a young boy running about? He has appeared to have stolen a few apples from the fruit stand over there." The constable pointed behind him as he noticed the boy behind Bert. The boy covered his face in fear. Bert bent down to the boy's level.

"The constable won't hurt you,son. Now, what is it that Bert here can do for you?"

"Well, he hasn't paid the fee for the apples. Now when I was a young boy-"

"Constable," Bert interrupted.

"I believe he forgot to pay for it. You see, I meant to give him the money for it,but completely forgot. Please forgive me." Bert held out some of the change from his hat that he earned from his drawings. The constable took it as he glanced at the two of them suspiciously.

"Very well. Just make sure that it doesn't happen again." He left the two alone. Bert turned to the boy who was gazing with admiration at the images on the pavement.

"You did these yourself?" Bert picked up his hat, putting the remained of the coins in his pocket.

"Yes, I did."

"Now, why aren't there any pictures of people?" Bert paused to think.

"Well,I guess I never thought of that."

The boy sat down and faced Bert.

"Draw me. I ain't got anywhere I'm heading." Bert nodded in reply as he knelt down. He looked up at the boy.

"Well, here it goes. Hope you like it..."

"John"

"Well,John, it is nice to meet you," Bert said as he extended his hand. The boy hesitated to put his hand out. Slowly and surely, he did. Bert smiled and then continued his work. An hour went by and his work eventually came to an end. He stood up,moving next to John.

"It's fantastic!" Just then, Bert noticed next to him that his hat,which he took off a while ago,was now filled with more coins than he had ever seen. He looked at the coins and then at the boy.

"Guess it's my lucky day." He gathered his chalk up and started to head back home. He noticed John was following behind the boy caught up to him, Bert was curious how much longer the boy would follow him.

"You heading home? It's almost dinner time after all." The boy frowned.

"I don't have a home." Bert began to realize that maybe what Mary was talking about to him had to do with this little boy. He couldn't turn him away. If something were to happen to him, he would never forgive himself. Bert put out his hand. The boy gave him a strange stare.

"Wanna come to my place for dinner? I can't say I am much of a cook but I will try. You can stay til you figure out what to do. What do you say?" The boy took Bert's hand and followed him home.


	3. Chapter 3

Bert opened the door to the house and put his chalk in the closet near the door. John looked around the room as he walked behind Bert.

"Hope you like it 's small but it is home." Just then, Mary came out of the kitchen.

"Just in time for dinner. Hope you like French onion soup" John walked up to Mary and tilted his head up.

"You must be Mary Poppins!" He extended his hand to shake hers. She smiled.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you,John." He wrinkled his nose in confusion.

"I told you that she knows everything," Bert exclaimed as he pulled out a chair for Mary. She sat down and put her napkin on her lap.

"So,how did you two meet," Mary Poppins asked John as she poured herself tea.

"We met when he was doing his drawings. He even did a picture of me!" Bert smiled and ate a spoonful of his soup.

"How did you two meet," he asked Mary. Bert and Mary nervously exchanged glances.

"We met a long time ago when we were very young. I want to say twenty years ago. Maybe a little more or less," Mary began.

"You two must have been little! What did Mary look like when she was younger? She must not have always been a nanny." Mary gave Bert a stern look.

"Well, Mary looked the same now as she did then. Practically perfect in every way." He ate some more soup, ignoring Mary's glare.

"Do you mind if I get some sleep,Bert. I'm tired," John yawned. Bert stood up and escorted John to his room. He dug through a drawer of his to pull out an old night shirt.

"You can wear this. You can stay in my room."

"Well,what about you?" Bert laughed.

"Don't worry about me. I'm alright." John quickly got in his pajamas as Bert was tidying up a bit. He turned around to see him laying in bed already. Bert moved to his side.

"Well, if you need me, you know where to find me." He headed to the door and turned off the light.

"Bert," John whispered. Bert paused,looking back in the room.

"Thanks" Bert slowly closed the door,turning around to notice Mary still at the table. He returned back to his seat and took another sip of tea. There was silence for a minute. Bert sighed.

"You were going to tell him,weren't you?" He held Mary's hand and smiled.

"Not without your permission. I just wish it didn't have to be this way." Mary got up from her seat,frustrated.

"Oh,Bert, what utter nonsense!" She started walking towards the guest room as Bert put a hand on her shoulder.

"Remember the day we first met?" Mary's face lit up just then.

"How could I forget? It was the day of my first assignment when I met you."

"I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen." Then Bert paused and laughed.

"Then you started snapping your fingers and organizing my clothes,boy, I thought I was going crazy!" He walked over to the window,leaned his arm next to it and looked out at the starry sky outside.

"What I didn't understand was how you always stayed the same. Not a hair out of place or nothin'. One thing that stayed the same, though, was that you always seemed to be making everyone happy. Heck, a lot of times you charmed them with the tricks you got up your sleeves." He lowered his head. Mary slowly walked towards him.

"You know, someone once told me that nobody has to be perfect if they wanna be loved. They just gotta be perfect in the eye of the beholder." Mary was speechless. Bert walked to the chest in the corner of the room and pulled out a blanket. Mary started back to her room and turned around.

"Bert," she began uneasily," I know this all may seem rather confusing to you right now. I apologize. It's just the way it has to be. For now, that is. I will explain it to you when the time is right. I hope you understand." He sat down on the couch, staring back into her kind eyes. She walked over to Bert, putting a hand on his cheek,lifting up his head. Sorrow was in his eyes. She gently kissed his cheek on the other side. Not an inch from her body moved for a split second as she felt the warmth from his face. She smiled politely and then straightened up. She went back inside her room and shut the door. Bert remained sitting. He noticed his heart was beating faster than usual and he somehow felt lighter. He then shook his head and layed down.


	4. Chapter 4

It was eight am. The temperature dropped about ten degrees overnight. John was the first to get up followed by Bert. He grabbed some oatmeal he prepared the previous night and put some in a bowl with sliced apples for John. Bert walked out onto the front porch and grabbed the milk and the newspaper which were waiting for him. Yawning, Bert opened up the paper to check the news.

"The world is full of crazy people, John. This newspaper is proof of that." John continued eating his breakfast.

"You ever read the morning paper?" He pulled apart sections of the newspaper and gave John the page filled with advertisements.

"No,sir."

"Well, check these out and see what looks interesting." John quickly skimmed through the paper and then put it back next to Bert.

"That was fast,I must say." John shrugged his shoulders.

"What did it say?" John didn't reply. Bert looked at John like he had two heads and realized there was a problem at hand.

" You didn't read through those,did you?" He shook his head shamefully.

"I'm sorry,sir." Bert sat up.

"Thats okay,I'm not trying to pressure you." The nervousness on his face disappeared,but he still had his head turned away. Bert put down the paper and looked at John.

" Do you know how to read?" A tear flowed down from his eye. Bert motioned for John to come to him. He obeyed. Bert put his arm around him and smiled.

"Well, it's nothin' to get upset about. Not everyone knows how to read. It's okay." He looked into his eyes.

"Hey, I'll tell ya what. How about I teach you. Right now."

"Right now?" Bert pulled the newspaper in front of them.

"Yes,right now. Starting with this."

An hour later, Mary Poppins woke up to the end of John's reading lesson. He excitedly ran up to Mary and slowly read a sentence from the newspaper.

"' the weather today will be sunny with a fifty percent chance of rain. Tonight will be cloudy.'" He jumped up and down, ran to Bert, and gave him a hug.

"That's a good start. You have a while to go. I know you can do it." Mary bent down to view John's face.

"How about you clean up while I talk to Bert. We can figure out what is going on after that." He ran to the bathroom,leaving the two alone. Bert stood up and started to clean up the table.

"That was very thoughtful of you,Bert," Mary said.

"Just doing what I have to do." Bert came out of the kitchen and stood in front of Mary.

"I was thinking that maybe we could bring him to the candy store today. If that's okay with you." Bert's eyes lit up.

"Sounds like a plan." Just then, John came out of the bedroom ,all ready to leave. Bert crouched down to face John.

"How would you like to get some candy today." A big smile came across his face. Bert patted they boy's back and stood up at Mary's level.

"Maybe when we are out, we can even get you a new outfit or two."


	5. Chapter 5

First stop was Mrs. Corry's for candy. The trio stepped into the shop as Mrs. Corry was stocking up the shelves of the new candy.

"Hello," Mary said cheerfully.

"Hello,my friend. How are you all today?"

"We are fine." She put her hand on John's shoulder.

"This is my friend,John. He wants to get some candy today. You already know Bert." Bert tipped his hat and grinned.

" I was wondering what you would recommend." Mrs. Corry went behind her counter and pulled out a little box.

"These just came in today. I hear they are very delicious. Now, they come in a variety of flavors. " John picked out one and observed it carefully. He noticed a tag on it that read orange raspberry. He opened the wrapper and popped the small candy in his mouth. His face turned from confused to excited.

"What is it,John," Bert asked as he started unwrapping his which flavor was Apple.

"It's so strange. I can't describe it. I just had a vision." Bert waited for him to continue as Mary watched the two.

"I am in a classroom with a bunch of other children. I look out the window and see a figure,but I can't recognize it." Mrs. Corry chuckled.

"It is a vision of what's in your future. Your future and how you would like to see it." Bert shook his head.

"Does the flavor you get determine what you will see?" Mrs. Corry inched closer to him and whispered in his ear.

"You will see." Bert put the candy in his mouth and smiled. He crossed his hands and looked into the distance.

"Well,I'll be..."

"Yes?" The other three asked as they eyed him.

" I see myself putting up a Christmas tree and going from house to house singing carols. John is with me. I go from door to door, but people don't have time to listen to me sing." He paused and his face turned a shade of pink.

"I opened the last door before I give up. And who else stands in front of me but..." He turns to Mary Poppins. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, really." They also laughed and then looked at Mary's candy in her hand.

"You haven't opened yours,Mary Poppins," John said.

"What flavor is it," Bert asked.

"Rum punch, what else?" There was silence until Mrs. Corry interrupted.

"You should eat it,Mary." Mary looked from Mrs. Corry to John, and lastly to Bert.

"I well, if I must,I must." She took the candy slowly from the wrapper and then put hers in her mouth. It took a little longer for her to react. She turned around and headed for the door.

"John, find something you would like and let's get going. We still have some shopping to do."

"Mary, what's wrong?" Bert put his arm around her, his eyes filled with worry. She took his arm off her waist and opened the door. Mrs. Corry gave a few candies to John to take home and the three were on their way.

" Was it something I did,"Bert asked.

"Was it something I said," John asked. Mary started to boil up with anger.

"Don't go on with the matter any longer or we shall go straight home." Bert and John exchanged glances, hoping one of them would have an were quiet until they got to the store.


	6. Chapter 6

John came out of the dressing room with a pair of slacks and a buttoned-up shirt. Bert gave him a thumbs up.

"You can get that if you want. The suit as well." John turned to Mary.

"Mary Poppins, what about you? You should try something on." Bert nodded his head.

"Yeah,Mary, I saw the way you were looking at that pink dress over there."

"Bert, this trip is for John, not me."

"You don't have to buy the dress. Just try it on," John exclaimed. Mary gave her umbrella to Bert.

"Oh,alright. Hold on." Mary grabbed the dress that was a few feet away from her and headed into the room that John once occupied.

The men waited outside patiently,as they looked outside, the sun began to slowly exited the dressing room,both of them with their attention elsewhere. Mary cleared her throat,making John turn around instantly.

"Wow!" John turned to tap on Bert's back except he noticed Bert already had his eyes glued on Mary. He slowly crept towards her,close enough to hear her heart beating.

"You...look beautiful,Mary." He said softly,melting Mary's heart right on the spot. She blushed. Then, realizing what she was doing, she backed away from him.

"Well, I must change back into my regular clothes now," Mary replied uneasily.

Later that night, the three were sitting in front of the fireplace. John was already in his pajamas and attempting to read a book while Mary was knitting and Bert was eating an apple. Bert got up to throw away the core. John sat up,yawned and stretched.

"Getting late,I see. You should probably be heading off to bed now." John moaned and groaned as he got up.

"Just a few more minutes." Bert laughed and rose from his seat.

"You seem pretty tired to me." Just then, John thought he would get the better of him. He leaped for the back door. Before he could escape,Bert scooped him up in his arms. John burst out laughing.

"Hey,let me go!"

"Nope!" Bert plopped him down onto his bed. He turned his head to face Bert who was at the edge of the bed.

"John,"he began.

"What was your family like?" John's frowned.

"I wish I could tell you. It was five years ago. My dad died when I was two. I was an only child. As for my mom, she couldn't take care of me. A year later she just up and left,leaving me in an orphanage." John felt a tear falling from his eye. He wiped it away and continued.

"I ran away about six months ago. It's just been myself-until now that is." Bert put his hand through his hair and looked at the floor. John leaned sideways to get Bert's attention.

" Nobody has ever been this kind to me before. Thank you."

"Don't mention it. It's been a pleasure." John sat up,his voice filled with curiosity.

"Are you going to adopt me?" Bert was baffled. He moved closer to John.

"Listen,John, I don't know. I'd love to but," John gasped and clasped his hands together,excitedly.

"I know,I will need a mom. What about Mary?"

"You can't just ask her something like that. Besides, it wouldn't be right to marry her just for convenience." John looked him straight in the face.

"I know as well as you that you have feelings for her." Bert got up and paced the floor.

"So what if I do? She has to like me back. Who knows if she ever will. There's a lot more to it than that." John sighed and played back down and turned in the opposite direction. Bert moved to the other end of the bed.

"I do know one thing,though,"Bert told him. "I know that I will always be there for you. And I will never give up.I promise you that. No matter what it takes." John smiled and leaned over,giving Bert a hug. Bert smoothed out the hair on his head as he felt his shirt get slightly damp.


	7. Chapter 7

It was nine o'clock and The sky was filled with stars. Bert sighed as he stood there,leaning on the fence feeling helpless. Mary noticed him through the window. She knew there was something not right about Bert that night. She crept out the door, attempting not to wake up John. Bert turned around,his back against the fence,a twinkle in his eyes when he saw that she was watching him this whole time.

"Mary," he began,his stomach tied in knots. "What if I were to ask you again about the incident at the candy store earlier. Would you still respond the same way?" He paused,unsure of what to say next. Mary went to his side,turning her gaze into his eyes.

"I'm just afraid." Bert moved closer to her. "The candy showed the future. The one I imagine to be what could make me happy for the rest of my life. It's not what I expected at all."

"Well,what did you expect? You imagine being a nanny for eternity? " Bert laughed,then noticing that was a big mistake. Unlike her usual self, she covered up her face to hide her emotions. Bert turned her head gently to look at hers.

"I didn't mean to offend you,love. Really. I just wants what is best for you...whatever that may be." He pulled her into a hug, Mary,in return, held him tightly.

"I know,Bert. I know. It's just I love my job. It's just...I kept thinking that one day you won't be there anymore. That is part of what I wanted to talk to you about." Bert sat down on the porch near the door,making room for Mary by his side.

"You see, it happened a long time ago. I was only twenty one. Right before I met you. I had a family. There was my father, and little brother. He was twelve at the time. My mother died when my brother was only a year old. I was so close to them all. I would do just about anything for my brother and would spend practically all day long with him. We would play tricks on people and a whole bunch of crazy things." She clenched her hands in a fist and her voice softened.

"My brother unfortunately never knew how to swim. For that reason, my father never allowed him to go ice skating in the winter since he was afraid he might fall through the ice. I could see that my brother always wanted to ice skate every time he watched me out there on the day I decided to skate down to the opposite end of the river to have a moment alone. It was the biggest mistake I ever made." Bert put his hand over hers,letting her lean on his shoulder to cry.

" I couldn't go home. I just couldn't. Not without my brother. It was then that I decided to be on my own. I wasn't alone for long,though. This creature from the woods appeared. It was white and couldn't make out it's features. It spoke to me." Bert felt as if he was hearing a story from a fairy tale. A small part of him seemed to doubt what was to happen,yet at the same time he knew that with Mary-anything is possible.

"It knew what I had done. I was punished. I was to be a nanny for children so I could learn to watch over them more carefully. I was to be practically perfect in every way so I could make up for my mistakes. I was never to age because that would remove the beauty from me. I also was never to be romantically involved with anyone because it meant that I would be selfish." Bert was stunned. He knew she has never been different in all the years he had known her. He knew because be was there.

"Do you know how this spell can be broken?" She shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

" I have no clue." Mary stood up and turned to open the door.

"Mary, wait."Bert' s heart was aching. He wished there was a way to help,but how?

"Whatever it is worth-" he swallowed hard and swayed back and forth. "Perfect or not, you will always remain perfect in my eyes." Mary touched his face and wiped a tear from his eye.

"Whatever it takes, however long it takes, I will stop at nothing to make sure you are happy." Mary squeezed his hand,looking deep into his blue eyes and smiled.

"Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8

Bert woke up,the clock reading quietly headed to his bedroom.

"John, wake up. It's me,Bert." John turned his head to Bert's, his eyes half open and his voice groggy.

"What's the matter?" Bert grabbed John's clothes and handed them to him. Bert rushed out of the room and grabbed his coat,John following slowly behind. They both headed to the park quickly.

"Where is Mary Poppins?" Bert knelt down and put his hand on John's cheek.

"I have to talk to you, it's very important. It's about the other day." John trembled. Mary wasn't in sight and Bert didn't seem his average cheerful self.

"Well, part of the reason I didn't feel like telling you the other day was because I was scared. I didn't know what you were to think of me." He paused and lead John to a nearby river and both sat at the bench besides them.

" I can relate to you a lot, y'know. I had a mother who died when I was little. Then I had a father and an older brother. My father was very wealthy and worked in the bank. In fact, so did his father. My father wanted generations of us to work at that bank. Well, my brother was all for it. He saved up his money and did everything he could. Eventually, he made our father proud." John moved closer to Bert.

"What about you? Bert sighed.

"I didn't want to become a banker. My childhood was miserable because the bank made my father miserable. I didn't want any part of it. In fact,me father hired a nanny when I was thirteen to watch me while he went to work with me brother. He thought it would help me grow up a bit." He hesitantly continued.

"That nanny has been with me since then for a long time now." John gasped in shock as Mary appeared behind Bert.

"You mean that..."

"Yes, John. And it is my hope that you keep this between the three of us," Mary explained. John nodded his head sadly. Before Mary could continue, John ran off into the foggy night on the opposite side of the river.

"Wait,John, don't go," Bert cried as he ran after him.

"Bert,I warned you the trouble this would lead to. I wish you would believe me," Mary yelled as she caught up to Bert.

"Well, it's not good to keep certain facts and feelings hidden for eternity,y'know."

"John," Bert called hysterically as he searched high and low for the then,Mary spotted him. She saw him as he started to cross a big log leading to the other side of the river. Now Mary was out of Bert's sight. He bolted forward,looking high and low for the two as his face became covered in sweat. Just then he heard a scream that sounded like it was coming from John. He kept following the sound.

John had fallen into the flowing river,unable to swim. Mary stood there,trying to locate Bert. She decided that it was now or never. She pulled up the sleeves on her dress and leaped into the water. Bert had just come in time. He saw Mary swimming in the water with John in her hands. He appeared wiped out and almost out of breath. She had just enough strength to pick him up and carry him to safety. Just as she put him on land, a branch got in her way. Bert stood up. He looked at Mary and at John. He then looked back at Mary and then to John. He seemed slightly more conscious at the moment. Bert picked up John and carried him as he beaded down the path that the river was taking him. He then saw Mary right where he wanted her. Bert gently put John down and dived in after Mary. Bert tried not to panicked and stayed strong. Mary was being surrounded by a mass of water, her magic seemed helpless to her right about then. Just as she was about to go under,Bert held his breath and went underwater instead. John shook his head and noticed he was by himself for a second. He walked a few feet further to see Bert in the water. He used the last of his strength and made it safely to land with Mary in his arms. John ran to them,scared about what was to come next.

Is she okay? I am sorry I messed things up. I was just upset." Bert touched Mary's face. She was warm,but not too warm.

"Why," Bert asked as he turned from Mary to John for a second.

"I was afraid I wouldn't have a family. That you two were just friends this whole time. I just can't imagine being without her." John knelt next to Bert and observed Mary.

"She's has to be okay, just has to!" John wept.

"She saved my life!" Bert leaned Mary up,looking at her with her eyes closed as he held her in his arms. She seemed motionless for a bit. A tear ran down Bert's eyes.

"Don't go,Mary. Please," he whispered into her ear.

"I love you."


	9. Chapter 9

Bert remained by Mary's side and waited for her to wake up. Seconds passed and then minutes. Bert held her hand in his,running his hand across her smooth skin.

"I wish you could hear me right now Mary. I wish you could hear me because I know somewhere inside you can. I..."Bert tried to hide his face from John. The boy knew he was in pain and him a hug to comfort him. Just then,Bert heard the sound of leaves rustling in the distance. He turned slowly to the right of him, seeing a tall figure stand before him.

"Don't cry,Bert. Everything will be alright," a soft voice reassured him. Bert looked down. Mary was nowhere to be seen. He looked to John who was just in as much he was. Bert stood up and walked closer to the figure,trying to concentrate on the woman's features. Her dress was blue,yet worn and her shoes looked almost brand new. Her hands looked a little wrinkled with age yet, smooth enough to consider herself young. The woman's hair was long and dark brown. Lastly there were her eyes. Starring deeply into her sea blue eyes, he recognized them right away.

"Mary?" Bert noticed she looked less than practically perfect,yet her spirit seemed to still remain.

"Yes,Bert. The magic is gone. I'm free!" She moved closer to Bert and brought him in a big embrace. Mary seemed slightly shy and looked down to her feet.

"I know that I don't look exactly like I did before. I hope that's alright." Bert smiled. He thought to himself why she would ever think such a thing.

"Bert,"she continued." Is it true what you told me just then. How you feel,that is." Bert nodded his head.

"Every word. An' nothing' 'ill ever change," Bert replied,choked up. He took a deep breath and cupped his hands around her face,slowly bringing it closer to his. Mary didn't struggle to get away from him or say a comment. She looked deep into his eyes as they were attracted to his like two magnets. They closed their eyes and shared a kiss that had been something that both of them had been longing to do for a long time. John was grinning from ear to ear. Bert turned around happily,putting one hand in John's and the other in Mary's. The sun was rising and shining bright for a brand new turned to the two and squeezed their hands.

"Let's go home."


End file.
